Drew Harris: TDs made 'unfounded' claims in the Dáil about garda conduct after arresting protesters
THE GARDA COMMISSIONER has written to the Ceann Comhairle expressing concern over what he says are unfounded allegations about the treatment of people arrested during a protest outside Leinster House.
On 1 April, the Dáil had heard allegations that
female protesters were strip-searched
following the Mothers Against Genocide demonstration, during which 11 people were arrested.
In a letter to Verona Murphy on 16 May, which was shared with the Dáil business committee last night, Commissioner Drew Harris said, after a 'comprehensive review' of the allegations, he can confirm that all gardaí involved in the searches 'acted at all times professionally, lawfully, and in accordance with established procedures and legislative provision'.
He said the protest and the arrests were recorded by garda bodycams. There were also recordings reviewed from the garda stations involved, which Harris said 'show nothing that would substantiate any allegations of wrongdoing'.
He added: 'There are no recording devices in cells when prisoners are being searched for obvious requirements for dignity and privacy.'
Last month, Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan
told the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) conference
that the allegations were false and called on politicians to be careful when using Dáil privilege.
Two TDs who repeated the allegations in the Dáil were Solidarity-People Before Profit TD Ruth Coppinger and her colleague Richard Boyd Barrett.
The party said they have been vindicated by Harris's admission that there are no recording devices in cells when prisoners are being searched.
Paul Murphy TD said the Justice Minister did not disclose the 'crucial information' that there was no footage of what happened within the cells.
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'The Minister gave the clear impression that footage had 'revealed' that our claims on strip and cavity searches were false.
'But on the contrary, this letter from the Garda Commissioner vindicates our claims and proves that the Minister misled the public.
'The Minister should now make a statement acknowledging that no recording devices were in cells when prisoners were being searched and he should apologise for misleading the public in this regard.'
Allegations
In the Dáil, Ruth Coppinger said she personally knew some of the protestors.
'Some of those women were strip-searched and one was subjected to a cavity search,' she said.
She also alleged that protesters were told by gardaí: 'What do you think would happen if you were outside the White House right now?'
Richard Boyd Barrett quoted from an account he said he received from one of the women involved.
'I was stripped completely naked and was asked to remove my underwear. When I questioned the necessity of this, I was told I would be forced violently, if I didn't comply,' the account read.
'After removing my underwear, they looked inside my private areas and touched all my sensitive parts.'
In his letter to the Ceann Comhairle, Harris said the TDs were using Dáil privilege to spread 'misinformtion and disinformation,' which negatively impacts members of An Garda Síochána.
He added: 'It undermines public trust and confidence in a fundamental institution of the state.'
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